It Can't Get Any Worse
by Void of Iniquity
Summary: Wandering through the wastelands of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo lost who he was, maybe he could find that again, but...not without some help. OOC Ichigo, with a backstory that will be revealed when I figure out what it is.


"It can't get any worse."

The worst fucking sentence to ever exist, a stream of words that was to _**never**_ be uttered by _**any**_ creature living or _otherwise_.

"I never asked to become this...monster, but, then again, the world in it's ever-so-merciful ways ain't ever gave a shit what people **wanted.** "

"And so, I simply existed, a void, of negavity and festering hatred, a creature of a once pure nature now driven by but a single instinct; survive."

"And boy was I fuckin' good at it."

My form was intimidating, I didn't need a mirror to tell though, I just knew. I stood at six, two, my height balanced out by my wiry muscle mass, giving me a build for speed.

My mask was skeletal, a maw of sharp, mismatched teeth seemed to split the middle of my "face" in a demonic smirk, two curved, forward facing horns completing the hellish visage.

I had a barbed tail that swung wildly around protuding from my lower back, as well as two pitch black wings, torn and ragged in random places. I had a rusted shackle around my neck, a weathered black chain connecting it to another pair of beaten shackles on my wrists, and two chains connecting those to twin ebony swords that were long and sleek, having three spiked protusions on the back of the blade.

The torn and tattered robes of a shinigami hung around my waist, furthering my savage appearance. The shackle around my neck having a poorly inscribed phrase carved into it, one I had come to know well, "Chained by Fate."

And so I wandered, butchering the few that dared to get in my way in a twisted scramble for survival that had long since turned into a sick game. I had run into another hollow today, one that reminded me distinctly of a bear; although it possesed the skeletonized armor Hollows were famous for.

It _was_ a Vasto Lorde, or at least it had been. I didn't hesitate when we met though, hostility practically _oozed_ from the fucker and it didn't take a genius to know he wasn't going down without a fight.

I charged and let instinct take over from there; as my swords vanished in a wisp of black and red smoke, I charged, my clawed finger closing around its arm in a vice grip and I _pulled_.

I felt the flesh tear and bone tear and rip and break as the arm came off; the bastard didn't even flinch, and a new arm shot out of the once-useless socket as fast as I had torn it off.

I retreated into the depths of minds, letting my instincts take over completely, barely aware of my body was doing. I didn't like regenerators, nor what I had to do to kill them. Yet again I heard **that** voice calling to me, **"It's not like you have to rip them apart to kill them, you could easily sever their heads or target vital organs, but I suppose you'll never admit to that dark inner nature, huh** _ **King**_ **? Have you ever considered that those "instincts" you push to the front are just everything you supress?"**

I shoved away the feelings that came when I heard the question and tried to focus my attention on **anything** else. As I pushed myself back into the driver's seat I noticed a little skirmish going on not too far away with pretty serious power being thrown around. Another Vasto Lorde fighting...seven adjuchas? A hunting party maybe? Barragan might've issued a kill order on someone while I was gone.

I felt something in my mind, a feeling...that maybe this Vasto Lorde would be different than the others...maybe it wouldn't fight me...maybe I could find someone worth knowing in this fucking wasteland.

I heard a different voice this time, _"There is nothing to lose from trying, you should always look to the good of the future, not to what could go wrong...*sigh* And I had so hoped you would learn that by now, when will you allow yourself to hear me, Ichigo?"_

I felt my breath hitch at _that_ name, even now that name taunted me, even here I couldn't leave behind that fucking of _curse_ of a name.Whatever, skirmish first, angsty moments second.

A buzz signalled my use of sonido as I rushed to my destination, endless sand dunes blending together in the infinite expanse of Heuco Mundo.

I arrived there just in nick of time if the condition of the Vasto Lorde was any indication the hollow, a women, I realized from the feminine figure, was panting, a cartoonish ram skull mask covered her face and a lance was in her hand. Blood was all over her centaur-like form, though I got the impression that not all of it was hers.

The adjuchas were gathered around her, one, a preying-mantis-like adjucha preaching about how he had proved his superiority to females or some such shit, I kinda tuned him out as I sonidoed to him and ripped both his arms off, I heard him scream and then cut him off by opening my mouth as wide as it would go and biting through his skull.

A part of me reveled in it, feeling the bone crunch under my teeth and the flesh squish and tear. I pulled my head away...with my jaw still locked in. I heard a sickening _*squelch*_ as I pulled away, and then I swallowed, most of the hollow's brain and upper skull going down as I finished the motion. I turned to the other hollows and _roared_ daring them to challenge the might of a Vasto Lorde, it wasn't like a normal hollow roar though, which normal sounded like a loud * _SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*_ rather, it was deep and bassy, a roar of might and power rather than animalistic wrath.

It scared them away too, I don't think even _I_ could get that kind of speed. I turned around to the female, and I saw the fear in her form rather than the ever-tense, aggressive, and battle-ready stances ever other hollow I've encountered usually took. I felt hope in the empty hole in my chest for the first time in a while.

I raised up my hand and a box of black and red reiatsu appeared right above her, I saw her tense up, and I slammed my hand down, sending the box right on top of her.

I heard her scream as the box of spiritiual energy suddenly forced her instant regeneration and healed her injuries instantaneously. (not a pleasant experience)

I picked up her unconcious form and started the long trek back to my "house". A hollowed-out cave that had poor imitations of furniture. It was more than most hollowws had though, do you have any idea how hard it was to find a fucking _cave_ in Heuco Mundo?

 _ **Timeskip like, I don't know, 10, 20 minutes?**_

I set the Hollow on the ground, being a little considerate to how I set her down, it probably wasn't easy to sleep as a centaur. I sat down in a poorly carved stone chair, thinking back on this day, it had certainly been a long one, hadn't it?

I saw her form stir and heard a groan from her. I wasn't exactly surprised at what happened next.

 _ ***Neliel POV, 1st Person***_

I blinked, my vision was blurry and unfocused and I registered that I was somewhere dark-er...darker than normal. I tried to recall recent events when it flooded back, the attack, the adjuchas and Nnoitra!

I shot up as fast as I could, registering another hollo-no, Vasto Lorde! I grabbed my lance and readied at his throat, ready to kill him in a moments notice, or I would have, had he not vanished. I suddenly felt cold steel at my neck and I froze. "Fast!" was the only thought I could register before he spoke, that classic hollow gurgle making itself known under his hoarse and raspy voice, as if he hadn't spoken in years.

 **"You have a strange way'a thankin' people don't ya,"** His accent was crude, but also well spoken, as if he knew more than he let people know. **"I just saved yer shit, lady. I'd like a "thank" you instead of a blade at my throat."** He let his blade down and buzzed in front of me, **"What's yer name anyway?"** I saw tension in his form, but also exhaustion, exhuastion of the endless fight, I felt hope spark in my heart, maybe I finally found another hollow that would actually make it through. Just maybe...I decided to trust him, he seemed like he would make it through...hopefully.

"My name...is Neliel Tu Oderschvank.


End file.
